Renovation Update 20

In my last post, I mentioned that our contractor was at the house to do a few repairs. Well, I now wish I had never asked them to come over.

We paid to have to the varnish redone only to have a lot of green paint splattered all over. I'm wondering why didn't anyone use masking tape and cover the shelves with newspaper before painting the wall? Take note I never asked for the green wall to be repainted. It was a nice touch, but it ruined the shelves in the process. One of the workers tried to get most of it out, but there are still green specs on all three of the shelves.

Remember the splotches of paint in different areas of the house? The white baseboard had blue paint. Again, have they never heard of painter's tape and newspaper? Oh, right! Since they don't own the house, they don't care what it looks like. It's as if we paid them a ton of money to make our house look ugly.

First, blue paint on the baseboard, then a different shade of white to cover the blue. Most of what they've done needs repairing and the repair job also has to be fixed.

Not sure which is worse - multi-colored or multi-toned. The pictures above were taken a few days after they did the "repairs." I waited for the paint to dry first to see if things would improve.

One thing that I was glad about was that the workers were around to see the roof leak. Technically, the roof leaking is bad news, but at least they've seen it firsthand.

They're also giving a refund for the cost of the shelves.

"Finished"

Reach Out and Build packed up and left last week, Aug 9, and here's what our house looks like:

Banner bolt doesn't go in at all - it just ends at the top of the hole rendering it completely useless. The gate now worries me as I've seen how even a light breeze can have it slamming into one of the cars.

They really do not care how your house looks - splotches of excess paint are all over the place (too many to post here). I've told them that I'm coming over to their homes and office to give them the same paint job.

I asked them to convert one of the electrical outlets to 110v (which they did), but the electrician needed to insert a grounding wire. He assured me that insects will not enter the hole they made for said wire. Uh, okay, if you say so... Also, thanks for giving stray cats something to play with.

This is at eye level beside the front door. I'm guessing that when they took off the masking tape and newspaper used for painting the door, the paint got ripped off. It's been a few weeks since they did the door and never bothered to repair the surrounding area - that tells you that they think this is completely acceptable.

They cemented the bottom part of the wall, but never mentioned anything about coming back to paint it.

Their name should be changed to Reach Out and DESTROY. On the left is part of our garage floor, and on the right is green paint peeking out from when they fixed the exterior window frames. Also, more splotches of white paint.

I wonder what else I'll find?

Reach Out and Build has promised to come back to repair everything including a leaking faucet they installed. The dripping was rather loud, so not sure why they didn't notice...

Oh, and the leaking carport roof? Dionel, the one in charge of our house, told me that I should not be worried about a drip here or there. Only waterfall-like leaks are what I should find alarming. What I find alarming is that he thought drips are acceptable. I sent them the following text message:

"Let me ask you this, if you bought an expensive bag or shirt with a small hole in it, wouldn't you return it and have it exchanged?

I am already dealing with the wrong color roof, aforementioned hideous screen door, and incorrect shelves. Not to mention paying for a cement floor that didn't work out. Must I also put up with a dripping roof? No one told me in the beginning that I should expect dripping. If it were your roof, would you accept it?

Considering the history of being told that things have been fixed, only to find out the opposite being true, please note that I will wait for heavy rainfall to check the roof before giving the final payment. And that the gate doesn't give in to the slightest gust of wind."

The Tale of the Temporary Cement Floor

At the suggestion of our landscaper, we extended the cement floor at our backyard. I thought it was a great idea - it wouldn't be muddy going to the outdoor sink, and there would be a bit more space for other things like a small grill.

Unfortunately, with just a little bit of rain, water started pooling at the newly cemented area. So with the typhoon season now in full swing, we were facing the possibility of our ground floor getting flooded before we even moved in! Our contractor's solution? Create a hole at the bottom of the wall, and have the water drain out to the neighbor's backyard... Unbelievable, but true.

The ones over at Reach Out and Build apparently did not bother to check the house plans, or look around to see if there was a storm drain nearby before constructing the cement floor. The thing is, when I once complained about how badly the carport was built, one of the founders, Sir Buddy, cut me off and told me that he was an expert.

Wouldn't an expert know how things might end up by studying the area? And if he wasn't sure, wouldn't he first consult the blueprints or ask the village management about how the house works? Well, none of that happened. They only decided to physically check and consult the village engineer after I got mad at them.

And that was how we found out that all the houses built by Avida do not have gutters, and none are connected to the village storm drains. The rain from the roof just falls to the ground and the water is not directed elsewhere. It is up to the homeowner to build a drainage system, which according to the village manager, will cost around Php 100,000.

Earl said that he's tired of all the expenses and just wants to move in, so we had the cement floor removed. Though we were warned that it won't make much of a difference as that area is lower than the rest of the property, and with the walls now bordering the house, the water will have nowhere else to go.

So that was a complete waste of time and money - all of which could have been avoided had our contractor been an actual expert. Because if he really knew what to do, he could have recommended that the cement floor would not be a good idea. Or to suggest building the storm drain along with the fence so that the yard won't collect water every time it rains.

Time to buy a submersible pump?

Renovation Update 19

Remember the last time our contractor, Reach Out and Build, said they were finished? Well, they've done it again.

Everyone, from the office manager to the foreman working at the house, said that they will be done by July 26. I was there the day before and things looked so promising that I scheduled the landscaper to start on July 27. I should have known better than to believe them as here's what "finished" looked like as of 4 PM on their supposedly last day:

The carport roof was leaking in more than one area. The video above shows water dripping from the back portion of the roof. There's another area in the front where the rain was coming through just as badly.

We had two air con brackets made, but the gap for both was 1.5-2 inches too large. So the workers decided to apply cement over two brand new, just removed from the box, air conditioning units.

I asked them to return the shelves they built and have them fixed at their shop. The edges were not smooth, the finish wasn't duco, and the brackets and screws were a mix of different colors and types.

Attention to the smaller details isn't their strongest point. I've been pointing out for weeks now that the paint of the gate latch needs fixing, and the cement around the gate holes needs to be repaired.

Above is what our carport floor used to look like. Below is what it looks like now. They did get rid of the excess cement, but created mini potholes in the process.

In the meantime, since the garden soil had already been loaded onto their truck, the landscaping could not be cancelled. Here's the progress of our landscaper as of Friday, July 28.

The powers that be over at Reach Out and Build have decided at this late stage to replace the workers assigned to our house. So, they will continue once the new guys have gotten their work permits.

Repairs, Etc.

We're now halfway through the process of making the house livable. The carport still isn't finished, but they've started on the other items on our to-do list:

A recent finding was that some of the exterior window frames, which are made of wood, have rotted and need to be replaced.

But since our contractor made a mistake with the polycarbonate roof, we've decided to compromise. We'll keep the lighter colored roof in exchange for four of the windows being repaired free of charge. We've also decided to have all the window frames replaced for a uniform look and we were thinking that it's just a matter of time before the others follow the rotted path.

Honestly, I would rather have the darker polycarbonate roof as it will give a little bit more shade. Earl, however, doesn't want to spend any more than we already have. Though maybe it was a good thing that they made a mistake since we're getting a discount on the window frames?

Renovation Update 18

Choi, from Reach Out & Build, informed us that the fence and carport are already done, and scheduled the turnover for June 16, Friday.

I arrive, look around, and then ask him, "So, when will you guys be finished?" His reply? "We're already finished."

Here's what "finished" looks like:

The polycarbonate roof is in two colors. There's supposed to be only one color, and that's dark brown.

Metal bars are still sticking out of the cement hollow block wall.

Trash is still present and they have yet to get rid of the excess cement from the garage floor.

Oh, when I left the house, some parts of the gate hadn't been painted and they still needed to repair the areas they damaged.

Seriously?!?! I really wonder how anyone could think that this would be acceptable? Well, apparently Choi did along with some of the workers who thought nothing of the two-toned roof.

It's been a few days and I still can't get over how skewed their definition of "finished" is. Am I angry or upset? Not yet - as long as they'll fix things. Though this will mean even more delays.

Renovation Update 17

As of yesterday:

They told me that the work will be done by tomorrow, but since the rainy season has started, I'm expecting a few more delays.

Renovation Update 16

Alas, Reach Out and Build definitely did not meet their end of May deadline. Here's their progress as of two weeks ago:

Renovation Update 15

Based on the original timeline given by our contractor, Reach Out & Build, the construction of the fence and carport would be finished by April 21. Due to various delays, they only started on May 2 and said that they'll be done before the month ends. Here's a look at their progress as of this week:

Two of the four workers were absent as they went home to the province to attend their local fiestas. Do you think they'll be able to make their own deadline? Considering the many other things that need to be done inside the house, our goal of moving in by June is unlikely.

Window Shopping: Fence, Gate & Carport

Due to how much it's going to cost us to move in, Earl was questioning whether it was necessary to build the fence and carport now. I pointed out that it will be much more difficult to have a construction crew over once we've settled in - the dust, noise, inconvenience, etc. I also told him to picture himself on his way to work during the monsoon season. Enough said.

WORK ITEMS

• CHB Perimeter Fence - Cement Plaster Finish with Paint
- 13.00mts x 6’ ht per side x 3 sides (right side, left side & back fence)
- 6” concrete hollow blocks
- 10mm re-enforcement bars for post, tie-beams & dowels
- Smooth plain cement plaster finish on both sides
- 2 coats of latex paint finish (per owner’s color choice)

• Steel Fence - Picket Fence Design - Paint Finish
- Picket fence design
- 13.00mts x 6’ ht (front steel fence)
- Carport gate – 5.00mts x 6’ ht
- Pedestrian gate – 1.00mt x 6’ ht
- One layer of concrete hollow blocks before steel fence – paint finish
- Includes electrical provisions for post lamps
- Primer and 2 coats enamel paint finish (per owner’s color choice)

• Carport Roof
- No specifications except that it should match the rest of the house

CONTRACTORS

• AQM Interior Services

Telephone Number: 0920 948 0177
Email: proj.aqm@gmail.com

General Requirements - Php 99,000
CHB Perimeter Fence - Php 284,968.75
Carport Roof - Php 258,921.67
Steel Gate & Fence - Php 34,800
Total: Php 677,690.42

• Gilladoga Construction Inc.

Telephone Number: 556 8991
Email: gilladoga@gmail.com

General Requirements - Php 97,579.73
CHB Perimeter Fence - Php 550,373.17
Carport Roof - Php 176,059.63
Steel Gate & Fence - Php 81,269.18
Total: Php 905,281.71

• Reach Out and Build Inc.

Telephone Number: 372 4659
Email: sales@reachoutbuild.com

General Requirements - Php 95,800
CHB Perimeter Fence - Php 299,726
Carport Roof - Php 202,584
Steel Gate & Fence - Php 78,400
Total: Php 676,510

Before & After: Part 2